Podcasts about christian imagination theology

"The modern world is impossible to narrate without the idea of land as property and the seizing of land as property." "Imagination is our gift in creating and building new worlds." In this episode, Amanda talks with Dr. Willie James Jennings about the profound impact of our conceptions of land on our world today. Our distorted understanding of land as a possession has led to a shallow sense of connectivity and belonging, impacting our relationship with the earth and each other. The conflicts around us are often centered in conflicts over land, and we need to restructure our communities to create shared living and press against how our communities have been shaped. Understanding the history, shape, and function of the land where we live is essential for deepening our connection to the earth and each other. Imagination plays a crucial role in anticipating the possibility of a lively life together, preparing us to receive the stranger and care for those who are different from us. GUEST: Dr. Willie James Jennings is an American theologian, known for his contributions on liberation theologies, cultural identities, and theological anthropology. He is an associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale Divinity School. Willie Jennings' book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.”  His commentary on the Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America.

This is a rich conversation Daniel and Jen had with Matthew Vega, a Black-Mexican theologian at the University of Chicago. Topics discussed during the conversation include an exploration of black theology, the history of black solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, and theodicy --how we can make sense of God's presence in the midst of immense suffering. The Speaker Matthew Vega is a PhD Candidate at the University of Chicago Divinity where he is researching theology, race, and class. You can follow him on IG @collegepopout. References mentioned during the conversation James Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, and Black Theology and Black Power. Michael Fischbach, Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color. Angela Davis, Freedom is a Constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement Willie James Jennings, The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race Delores Williams, Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/acrossthedivide/message

This is such a rich conversation. Dr. Willie James Jennings is an incredible theologian who teaches Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Dr. Jennings has written influential books like, The Christian Imagination: Theology and Origins of Race, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging, and a groundbreaking commentary on the book of Acts, among a number of other books. Dr. Jennings is a treasure to the church and we loved chatting with him. We spoke about theology, race, whiteness, the book of Acts, LGBTQ+ inclusion and much more. Enjoy!The whiskey we tasted in this episode is Old Fitzgerald Bottle in Bond 16 Year. Good luck finding that.To skip the alcohol tasting, skip to the 8:10 mark. You can find the transcript for this episode here.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

The Barth Booth is a virtual exhibit devoted to the life and work of Karl Barth. The exhibit is hosted on the Wipf and Stock Blog and includes a set of interviews with Barth scholars, as well as a selection of Wipf and Stock's books by and about Barth. You can find the link to the booth below. Dr. Kara Slade is Associate Rector of Trinity Church in Princeton and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. Dr. Slade earned a PhD in theology at Duke University and is the author of The Fullness of Time: Jesus Christ, Science, and Modernity (Cascade, 2023). PODCAST LINKS: The Barth Booth: [coming soon] The Barth Center: https://barth.ptsem.edu/ Karl Barth Graduate Student Colloquium: https://pts.events/2023-barth-graduate-student-colloquium/ Mockingbird Ministries: https://mbird.com/ Health-Ade Kombucha: https://health-ade.com/ CONNECT: Website: https://wipfandstock.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/ SOURCES MENTIONED: Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics. ———. Dogmatics in Outline. ———. The Epistle to the Romans. ———. Evangelical Theology: An Introduction. Busch, Eberhard. The Great Passion: An Introduction to Karl Barth's Theology. Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Myers, Ben. The Apostles' Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism. Nikolaus of Haguenau, and Matthias Grünewald. Isenheim Altarpiece. Scarry, Elaine. On Beauty and Being Just. Slade, Kara. The Fullness of Time: Jesus Christ, Science, and Modernity. OUTLINE: (01:45) – Coffee, kombucha, Coke (03:25) – Theology from the church, for the church (07:34) – The interwovenness of different doctrines in Barth (11:09) – God's conclusive action in Jesus Christ (16:38) – Barth and “bro theology” (19:41) – Beach reads: Dogmatics in Outline (23:16) – CD 4/1 (27:23) – Barth and North American Anglicans (34:26) – Barth's doctrine of reconciliation (38:35) – The inseparability of dogmatics and ethics (42:40) – Barth studies in North America today (48:37) – The “time of the resurrection” and the time of scientific modernity (57:26) – Barth and Kierkegaard (01:00:21) – The nuanced Barth (01:02:26) – Kait Dugan, the Barth Center, Willie Jennings

In our day, few pastors are as globally influential as Tim Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and author of the New York Times bestseller The Reason for God (2008). Less well-known is the important role played by neo-Calvinism in shaping Keller's thought and approach to pastoral ministry. Join us for a conversation with Tim, as we discuss his own journey towards neo-Calvinism, his views on the tradition's strengths and weaknesses, and its future in the United States and further afield. Sources: Timothy Keller, 'Neo-Calvinism and Pastoral Ministry,' in Cory Brock and Gray Sutanto, eds., The T&T Clark Handbook to Neo-Calvinism (forthcoming) Hans Rookmaaker, Modern Art and the Death of Culture (Crossway, 1994) Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God (Westminster Seminary Press, 2020) Herman Bavinck, Christian Worldview (Crossway, 2019) Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Eerdmans, 1932) Willie James Jennings, The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale University Press, 2010) Eric Kaufmann, Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth? Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century (Profile Books, 2010)

Dr. Vincent Lloyd, Director of Africana Studies at Villanova University, talks to theologian and social theorist Matt Vega about his doctoral research around racial capital, which Vega examines through personal, theological, and academic lenses. Vega's understanding of the relationship between race and capitalism, he says, was greatly influenced by political scientist Dr. Michael C. Dawson, who administered Vega's “Race and Capitalism” Qualifying Examination at the University of Chicago. (Vega highly recommends watching this breakdown of race and capitalism by Dr. Dawson.) Vega's recent essay on racial capitalism is part of the Critical Theory for Political Theology 2.0 series on the Political Theology Network. In this episode of OP Talks, he encourages theologians to think through the relationship between race, capitalism, and theology for three reasons: 1. "First, there's the origin reason. So, modern conceptions of race and the origins of capitalism as a distinct mode of production emerged within the context of mission." 2. "The second reason is the conversation reason. I think studying racial capitalism is important for theologians to foster cross-cultural conversations about how dynamics of race and capitalism might both be at work, rather than thinking about one at the exclusion of the other." 3. "The last reason it's important for theologians is because I think it should push us to think about the sources we have within our traditions [with which] to think about or respond to racial capitalism." ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Dawson, Michael C. “Why Race and Capitalism Not Racial Capitalism? (Critical Race Studies): Racial Capitalism(s) I.” Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto, 25 March 2021. Dawson, Michael C. and Emily A. Katzenstein. “Articulated Darkness: White Supremacy, Patriarchy, and Capitalism in Shelby's Dark Ghettos.” The Journal of Political Philosophy 27.2, June 2019: 252-268. Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Yale University Press, 2011. Lloyd, Vincent. Black Dignity: The Struggle Against Domination. Yale University Press, 2022. Jones-Rogers, Stephanie E. They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South. Yale University Press, 2020. Robinson, Cedric James Robinson. Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition. Zed Press, 1983. [PDF] Vega, Matthew. CRITICAL THEORY FOR POLITICAL THEOLOGY 2.0: Racial Capitalism. Political Theology Network, 3 May 2022.

Willie James Jennings (Yale Divinity School) joins Matt Croasmun for a conversation about the future of theology, addressing the Christian inability to hold complexity, public communication, and deep formation together in a way that shows how theology is for our very lives.Seven years ago the Yale Center for Faith and Culture interviewed a diverse array of theologians about the present woes and future potential of theology. Some five years and a pandemic later, the landscape of theological education seems like it's at a crossroads. The driving purpose of Christian higher education is in question as colleges, universities, and seminaries across denominations and around the world consider how they'll move forward in the wake of stark realities this pandemic laid bare. So it's worth revisiting the conversation to see what has changed, what holds true, and what hopes we're still holding on to. For today's episode, we're featuring a conversation between Matt Croasmun and Dr. Willie James Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School, an ordained Baptist minister, and author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, and more recently After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging. Willie reminds us to be looking for the opportunities in the middle of crises of theological education; he worries about the inability to hold complexity, public communication, and deep formation together in a way that shows how theology is for our very lives; he speaks to the recent aversion to pastoral ministry, which is theology for the sake of the people; he touches on the role of Christian theology in a pluralistic world, asking how theologians might learn from comedians; and he encourages all Christians to take up the theological call to courage, the call to see, listen, and and alleviate suffering, and the call to a theology of life.About Willie JenningsWillie Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Africana Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University; he is an ordained Baptist minister and is author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race,Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate, and most recently, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging.Other Episodes Featuring Willie JenningsJoy and the Act of Resistance Against Despair (with Miroslav Volf)My Anger, God's Righteous Indignation (A Response to the Murder of George Floyd)The Crowd Needs Faith: Control, Care, Economy, and Race (with Miroslav Volf)Production NotesThis podcast featured theologian Willie James Jennings and biblical scholar Matthew CroasmunEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Martin ChanA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

In this episode, Dr. Beth Felker Jones of Northern Seminary engages in a wide ranging conversation about Christian doctrine, Wesleyan theology, entire sanctification, the optimism of grace, and her writing practices. Bio: Dr. Beth Felker Jones, who earned her doctorate at Duke University, teaches theology at Northern Seminary. She is the author of books including Faithful: A Theology of Sex, Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically, God the Spirit: Introducing Pneumatology in Wesleyan and Ecumenical Perspective, and The Marks of His Wounds: Resurrection Doctrine and Gender Politics. Books by Beth: Practicing Christian Doctrine https://amzn.to/3ns6RUU Faithful: A Theology of Sex. https://amzn.to/2Z2FLdI Pandemic Prayers https://amzn.to/3x0m2rv Full list on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Fq6u3d Books Recommended by Beth: Augustine Confessions https://amzn.to/3qPJEya Julian of Norwich Revelations of Divine Love https://amzn.to/3CubC4v Willie James Jennings, Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race https://amzn.to/3DCcLIT  Connect with Beth: Search Beth Felker Jones on Google Twitter/Instagram: @bethfelkerjones Connect with Brian Russell: Information about Brian's Fall 2021 book Centering Prayer: How Sitting Quietly in God's Presence Can Change Your Life www.centeringprayerbook.com or order: https://amzn.to/3pDpN2E. For group discounts, contact Sr. Estelle at Paracletepress.com Twitter: @briandrussell Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife Brian's Main Website (coaching and other resources): www.brianrussellphd.com Brian Russell's Book on the Missional Interpretation of Scripture: (Re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World https://amzn.to/3qln258 Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Dr. Russell receives a small payment if you order resources through these links. There is no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast through your purchases. Please tell your friends about the Deep Dive Spirituality Podcast. It's also available on YouTube as a Videocast.

Dr. Jennings is Associatet Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University and has written several books including The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale 2010), which won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015 and the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. His commentary on the Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018.In this episode, Dr. Jenning helps us understand how the book of Acts critiques empire and imperial values, and also how the early Christians in the book of Acts were wrestling with ethnic reconciliation and inclusion. Toward the end of the episode, we talk about the concept of “Whiteness”--what it means, what it doesn't mean, and how it can be a useful tool for people to use to think through the history and politics of race. Theology in the Raw Conference - Exiles in Babylon At the Theology in the Raw conference, we will be challenged to think like exiles about race, sexuality, gender, critical race theory, hell, transgender identities, climate change, creation care, American politics, and what it means to love your democratic or republican neighbor as yourself. Different views will be presented. No question is off limits. No political party will be praised. Everyone will be challenged to think. And Jesus will be upheld as supreme.Faith, Sexuality, and Gender Conference - Live in Boise or Stream OnlineIn the all-day conference, Dr. Preston Sprinkle dives deep into the theological, relational, and ministry-related questions that come up in the LGBTQ conversation.Support PrestonSupport Preston by going to patreon.comVenmo: @Preston-Sprinkle-1Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out Dr. Sprinkle's website prestonsprinkle.comStay Up to Date with the PodcastTwitter | @RawTheologyInstagram | @TheologyintheRawIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

I recommend The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale University Press), one of the most brilliant and breathtaking books I've ever read, and I talk about Paul's argument in Romans 3:21-31.

Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world-renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology. Dr. Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr. Jennings’ book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two-part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna. Brought to you by Jarrod McKenna & Drew Hart of Inverse Podcast

As we prepare for Season 6 of Inverse Podcast, we are going back in the archives to share some of our favorite episodes with you! Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world-renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings’ book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two-part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released next week. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna.

As we prepare for Season 6 of Inverse Podcast, we are going back in the archives to share some of our favorite episodes with you! Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world-renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings’ book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two-part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released next week. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna.

Concluding our series on Cultural Identity, we are joined by Dr. Willie James Jennings, who is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School, and the author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale University Press), and, more recently, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging (Eerdmans). Dr. Jennings begins by explaining what Whiteness is and isn't, and specifically how it has nothing to do with phenotype, cultural heritage, bodily characteristics, biology, etc, but rather is a particular way of seeing the world as revolving around the self and as something to be mastered. Over the course of our conversation we talk about how the church and theological education have been ensconced in Whiteness. Given that dynamic, Dr. Jennings relays to us how to call out its particularities, overcome internalized racism in the academy, and addresses what sort of “crucifixion” white evangelicalism might need to experience to be on the side of resurrection. Throughout his book, After Whiteness, Dr. Jennings interweaves anecdotes with poems that he's written. As a special treat for us, Dr. Jennings reads one of his unpublished poems that didn't make its way into the book. In the end, Dr. Jennings provide a beautiful vision of hope for the gathering of the multitudes together as the people of God after Whiteness. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Grace Sangalang Ng, Dr. Chris Porter, and Dr. Logan Williams.

"I look at joy as an act of resistance against despair and its forces. ... Joy in that regard is a work, that can become a state, that can become a way of life." Willie Jennings joins Miroslav Volf to discuss the definition of joy as an act of resistance against despair, the counterintuitive nature of cultivating joy in the midst of suffering, the commercialization of joy in Western culture, joy segregated by racism and slavery, how Jesus expands and corrects our understanding of joy.Support For the Life of the World by making a gift to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: faith.yale.edu/giveShow NotesClick here to watch the full interview in videoClick here to learn more about the Theology of Joy and the Good Life projectDefining joy—an act of resistance against despair"Resisting all the ways in which life can be strangled and presented to us as not worth living"Singing a song in a strange landMaking productive use of pain, suffering, and the absurd—taking them seriousHow does one cultivate joy? You have to have people who can show you how to sing a song in a strand land, laugh where all you want to do is cry, and how to ride the winds of chaos."In contexts where your energies have to be focused on survival, it doesn't leave a lot of energy for overt forms of complaint—you're spending a lot of energy just trying to hold it together."The commercialization of joy in the empire of advertising—contrasting that with the peoples serious work of joyThe work and skill of making something beautiful out of what has been thrown awaySegregated joy—joy in African diaspora communitiesJoy is always embedded in community logicsThe Christological center of joyPentecost joy—joy togetherGeographies of joy: Christians tend not to think spatially, but we shouldPublic rituals bound to real spaceHoping for joyous infection, where the space has claimed you as its ownWhere can joy be found? The church, the hospital room, the barber shop and beauty shops—“things are going to be better"About Willie JenningsWillie Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Africana Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University; he is an ordained Baptist minister and is author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race,Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate, and most recently, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging. You can hear him in podcast episodes 7 and 13 of For the Life of the World.

Matt Croasmun honors theologian Willie Jennings and his work in After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging. Willie Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School.Show NotesWillie Jennings, After Whiteness: An Education in BelongingArvo Pärt's Te Deum“Be ware the hidden curriculum."White, self-sufficient masculinity: "a way of being that conflates knowing with owning, holding up possession, mastery, and control (vices all) as virtues” and “an ideal we cannot achieve"Racial paterfamilias: conflating person and propertyBeyond educationMutual belonging and deep connectionQuote from After Whiteness: The cultivation of belonging should be the goal of all education. Not just any kind of belonging, but a profoundly creaturely belonging that performs the returning of the creature to the creator and a returning to an intimate and erotic energy that drives life together with God. These words, intimacy and eroticism, have been so commodified and sexualized that we, Christians have turned away from them and fear that they irredeemably signify sexual antinomianism, moral chaos, and sin, or at least the need to police, such words and the power of they invoke. But intimacy and eroticism speak of our birthright formed in the body of Jesus and the protocols of braking sharing, touching, tasting, and seeing the goodness of God. There at his body, the spirit joins us in an urgent work, forming a willing spirit in us that is eager to hold and to help, to support and to speak, to touch and to listen, gaining through this work, the deepest truths of creaturely belonging: that we are erotic souls. No body that is not a soul, no soul that is not a body, no being without touching, no touching without being. This is not an exclusive Christian truth, but a truth of the creature that Christian life is intended to witness."About Willie JenningsWillie Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Africana Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University; he is an ordained Baptist minister and is author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race,Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate, and most recently, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging. You can hear him in podcast episodes 7 and 13 of For the Life of the World.

Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings' book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the* Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate* (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled* After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging* (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation *as well as a finishing a book of poetry entitled *The Time of Possession. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released Monday 7 December, 2020. Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna.

Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings' book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the* Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate* (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled* After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging* (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation *as well as a finishing a book of poetry entitled *The Time of Possession. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released Monday 7 December, 2020. Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna.

Dr. Jennings is an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. He is an author of multiple works, including the 2010 book, “The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race.” In this, Dr. Jennings poses the question: Why has Christianity, a religion premised upon neighborly love, failed in its attempts to heal social divisions? Today, Dr. Jennings and Eddie discuss that question. Links from the Interview - More info for Dr. Jennings: https://divinity.yale.edu/faculty-and-research/yds-faculty/willie-james-jennings -  The New Activist is presented by IJM: https://www.ijm.org/ - The New Activist is scored by Propaganda: https://www.prophiphop.com/ The New Activist Social T - https://twitter.com/NewActivistIs FB - https://www.facebook.com/newactivistis/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/newactivistis/ web - http://www.newactivist.is Eddie Kaufholz, Host - https://twitter.com/edwardoreddie  

Willie Jennings is a theologian and associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale University. He's an ordained Baptist minister and the author of ‘The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race', ‘Acts: A Commentary' and many other titles. His next book is entitled ‘After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging' and is out later this year. In this episode he speaks about his love for the seasons, growing up with a racially divided church, why anger can be a force for good and why and how to understand the concept of whiteness.

Willie Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Africana Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University; he is an ordained Baptist minister and is author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race and Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate.Show NotesWillie Jennings wrote in Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible: "The crowd is always susceptible to the fear that ... clothes the creature. The crowd is the creature exposed in its vulnerability. So nationalistic slogan, religious incantation, or enthusiastic cheering are used to conceal this vulnerability. The volume of a crowd is never an indication of the strength of their faith, but always their vulnerability and oftentimes their fear. The crowd needs faith. A crowd that gains faith shrinks in size and becomes a congregation.” (Page 189)Miroslav asks Willie to explain and elaborate on this passage on crowds and fear."Crowds show us, not so much strength, they show us the vulnerability of the multitude."A congregation is a crowd that has been disciplined, shrunk in size, by the reality of faith. … Of course you can have a congregation that still longs to be a crowd…"“The challenge for Christians is to remember that we are not to fear loss."The deep psychic shock that loss brings: “If anything, loss, for a moment, opens us to the nothingness out of which we've come."We should avoid theological or biblical slogans. But how do we speak in ways that align our sight with real hope?Faith as an ability to see and respond without being overcome.The need to be sensitive that at this moment people of faith have already been lifting a burdenWillie's formation in the African American community of faith—lifting the weight while acknowledging the strain.David Ford on Christianity is inside many constellations of multiple “overwhelming”—being overwhelmed is a part of Christian faith.Christianity that seeks control is unhelpful in a moment like this.One of our greatest challenges with respect to crowds and fear is that "the nationalist imaginary” (h/t Charles Taylor)—playing off the economic well-being of the nation with the well-being of the human creature.Crowds and the formation of political and ideological tribes. Applying crowd thinking and fear mongering to the political landscape."Fear is used to sell almost everything. Risk management is fundamentally a modulation inside the deployment of fear. You cannot have the advertisement industry as it now exists without fear. So many ways of selling the good life for us begins by trafficking in fear. And this can't be separated from the ways in which our political imaginations work. And this helps to drive the ways in which we imagine our friends and our enemies."People of faith are often the progenitors of fear.Miroslav's background as a religious minority in the former Yugoslavia. “Christian faith was born in the fires of persecution, and now suddenly we're all up in arms and twisting ourselves into pretzels because there might be some limitations on what we can do."Willie: “Being raised in the African American community, the worry about religious persecution was never a worry. We had other things to worry about than someone persecuting us for our faith. … We were afraid of them killing us, lynching us, shooting us, destroying us."Comparing white fear vs Black fear. Fear of liberal hegemony versus fear for one's life.Economic inequality and COVID-19: The care of people must become the context within which you think the economy, as opposed to the care of the economy as the context in which you think about people. The impact of COVID-19 on the black community."When America gets a cold, the Black and Latino community gets the flu.” (Willie quoting Cornel West)"They have to dance daily with this virus."Toni Morrison: This is part of the absurdity that blackness must face.With social distancing in place, what does it look like today to act faithfully and do something concretely to address these disparities? Allow the communal dimensions of our faith to move through us bodily. We need to reach out and connect with each other. "The Christian must gestate communion—must always be moving toward communion.""We have to ask once again: How do we understand the good society? The very fibers of our existence are at stake."The structural, as opposed to behavioral, nature of inequalities.Even in the end, there is a beginning.

Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings' book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as a finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released Monday 7 December, 2020. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna.

Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings' book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as a finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released Monday 7 December, 2020. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna.